Are We Entering an Era of Meanness?

Consider everything you dislike about organized religion. For some of you, the list will be a long one. Is possible that organized religion could morph into something even worse? I'm imagining something that took most of what we dislike about religion and built on it. The positive aspects would be abandoned, leaving the worst impulses behind. These impulses would then gain the justification that only religion can offer. Your enemy is inhuman and deserves every horror you can imagine.

Could something like this already be happening? If we take a look at the current political climate of the United States, I'd suggest that it is. This strikes me as far more than the kind of political disagreements we've seen before. I see it more as a fundamental transformation of a nation. And while I'm reluctant to accept this, I worry that some of it may not be reversible. But even if much of it is, I have little doubt that many will be be harmed in the meantime. 

It isn't easy to characterize what I see taking place, but I'll take a stab at it. I'd say that we are transitioning toward a culture of meanness. I know this sounds simplistic, but I see much of what the Trump administration is doing in these terms. Yes, they want to burn it all down. The kindest thing we could say would be that it doesn't bother them that their efforts harm people. A more realistic description would be to suggest that this is their goal.

Are Democrats in Danger of Losing Voters of Color?

Since the last U.S. presidential election, I've seen lots of blame assigned to White people. This keeps popping up, and I saw more of it as recently as today. Nobody is claiming that all White people voted for Trump, but far too many did. I'd agree with anyone suggesting that White people deserve much of the blame for the mess we have now.

The catch is many of the social media posts I've seen suggest that only White people voted for Trump. I wish that was true, but I've seen far too much reporting to the contrary. For example, polls showed that Trump had rising support among Latinos and Black men. It seems clear that not everyone supporting Trump is White, though most are.

Moments After Which There Is No Going Back

What is it about the 2024 U.S. presidential election that I'm still having a hard time coming to terms with? It isn't the outcome itself, as that did not surprise me. I figured that Trump would win. It was clear that the news media missed him and wanted him back in office. The surprise had more to do with how he won. This wasn't another case of wining the electoral college and losing the popular vote. He won both.

What does it mean to win the popular vote even when it does not determine the outcome of an election? It means that more of the Americans who bothered to vote preferred the winner of the popular vote. It is, in essence, a popularity contest. And Trump won it. This is the part I'm struggling with the most. Knowing everything we now know about him, more American voters wanted Trump back in power. It is tough to look at the country in the same way I once did. 

Harris Wipes Floor With Trump in 2024 Presidential Debate

 

I watched the 2024 presidential debate the night after it aired. I didn't have time to catch it live, so I watched it while waiting for the arrival of Hurricane Francine. I figured I'd be up all night anyway, so there was no harm in watching a debate that might keep me up all night.

Without the approaching storm, would what I saw during the debate have kept me up? It would have but not for the reason I feared. It would have kept me up because Donald Trump's vision of America is terrifying. And his plans for reshaping the country in his image are even more so. It would not have kept me up due to worries about Harris' suitability for the office. She turned in a performance for the ages, and it is tough to imagine how anyone could have done better. 

We Have Created the Conditions for Political Violence

Like most of you, I don't condone political violence. I can't reconcile it with the sort of democratic society I prefer. The democratic process doesn't always work the way we want it to, and our courts don't always get it right. Some frustration is inevitable, and that doesn't justify political violence.

It didn't surprise me that someone took a shot at Donald Trump during a rally. It surprised me that it took this long for someone to do so. It is hard to imagine any modern political figure inspiring such strong feelings. To some, he's Jesus returned to make us great again. To others, he's a wannabe Hitler. In a nation of way too many guns, such strong and conflicting feelings can be dangerous.

We Must Defeat Trump's Project 2025

In Trump v. United States, the Supreme Court ruled that presidents (and former presidents) are immune from criminal prosecution for "official acts" while they were in office. Can we agree that "Trump v. United States" is a fitting name for such a blow to the rule of law? Some have suggested that this decision isn't a big deal. After all, it amounts to an admission of what was already common practice. That may be true, but it still concerns me. My concern increases when we add immunity to the power of the presidential pardon.

There is a large group of people in the United States who would like to get rid of atheists and other undesirables. I imagine they'll start with immigrants and LGBTQIA+ people, but the rest of us won't be far behind. This group is currently organized around Trump, but he didn't create them. They existed long before him, and they will remain a threat long after he's gone.

Sticking With a Flawed Candidate

I did not watch the first presidential debate of 2024. The thought of exposing myself to that level of depression and anger seemed unwise. It wasn't like the outcome was ever in question. Trump would lie, and Biden would seem unfit for office. There would be no winner. We'd all be the losers.

The post-debate analysis littering the news the next day was no surprise either. The Democrats are panicking over their nominee. What took them so long? Haven't most Democratic voters recognized the problem for some time?

Donald Trump is a Convicted Felon

It's official. He's a criminal. Pending a successful appeal, he's a convicted felon. Will it matter? Yes and no. I doubt it will matter much in the outcome of the next U.S. presidential election. Minds have been made up for some time. It is hard to imagine that the verdict will sway many voters. Some recent polls showed that 25% of Republicans would be more likely to vote for him if he was convicted. Then again, voting for a criminal might be a bridge too far for some. That could matter in what will be a close election. The bottom line is that we don't know.

In what way will it almost certainly matter? It will (or at least should) matter when future generations study this period in our history. This is the first time a former president has ever been convicted of a crime. In that sense, it will be historic even if it changes few contemporary minds.

Atheists, Vote Like Your Life Depends on It

In the United States, we like to talk about our rights. We rarely have much to say about the many responsibilities that go along with these rights. But we sure do love to discuss our rights! And so help anybody who threatens to restrict them.

One of these rights is the right to vote. Our low voter turnout suggests that too few of our neighbors exercise this right. They'll offer many reasons for this, and some seem more valid than others.

Atheists and other non-Christians should have among the highest voter turnout of all. Why? Because of how much we stand to lose when Christian extremists gain power. We should vote like our lives depend on it because they do.

To Preserve Democracy, Democrats Are Better Than Republicans

There's a common argument that one can expect to hear from some on the political left in the United States. The two major political parties are so similar, they say, that there's little reason to support one over the other. I can understand why someone might say this. I find it to be inaccurate in the best of times and harmful in the worst of times.

This argument is an expression of dissatisfaction with today's Democratic Party. I can understand it because I share this sentiment. The Democrats seem to have lost their way and often appear ineffective or even hapless. But more to the point, the mainstream of the party is more conservative than I'd prefer.

Republican Presidential Debate Highlights a Focus on the Wrong Priorities

I watched the first Republican presidential debate. I wasn't expecting to enjoy it, and I didn't. I watched it because I was curious. We are facing a new situation in which the frontrunner is facing criminal charges. Republican voters don't seem to mind one bit. This shouldn't surprise us. After all, many of them supported an attempted coup.

I was curious to see how the competition would address this. Could they make a case that they were better choices? I was also curious to see how those who haven't been polling well might try to stand out from the pack. Some don't have much name recognition compared to others. Could they change that?

Continued Support for Trump Among Evangelical Christians Is No Mystery

I'm not sure why some in the news media are still asking whether there is anything Donald Trump can do to lose the support of evangelical Christians. Continuing to pose this question seems even stranger when they already have an acceptable answer. Why do they seem so reluctant to accept the answer and move on?

This article by Jack Jenkins for Religion News Service quotes an email from Rev. Robert Jeffress:

It’s doubtful that the latest indictment of President Trump will have any meaningful impact on his overwhelming popularity with evangelical voters, given the fact that previous indictments have only increased his support among Republicans — and most evangelicals vote Republican...

Right. They've adopted him as one of their own, and they'll stick with him.

Belief in Gods and Other Religious Concepts Has Declined Since 2001

There's a bit of good news to report from a recent Gallup poll. Their strange title gives most of it away: Belief in Five Spiritual Entities Edges Down to New Lows. But what are the five entities?

1. "God" (I'm unsure which one this is supposed to refer to)
2. Angels
3. Heaven (how is this an entity?)
4. Hell (again, how is this an entity?)
5. The Devil

It should not surprise (but may disappoint) you that 74% of their respondents profess belief in some sort of god. Sadly, the United States continues to be an outlier here. Still, this number has dropped quite a bit since 2001. And while only 12% of those surveyed say they don't believe in gods, that number has increased.

Wealth Might Not Trickle Down but Hate Does

If you live in the United States, you are familiar with "trickle-down" economics. Republicans have favored this approach at least since Reagan. Tax cuts for the wealthy are supposed to be good for the rest of us. They are the "job creators," after all. More money for them means more job opportunities for us and a better economy for all.

What happens when wealth doesn't trickle down? The solution is always to elect more Republicans. We do because we are desperate to believe the myth. The sunk-cost fallacy kicks in, and we can't cut our losses now. More Republicans it is!

There’s Not Always a Way, but We Still Need a Will

We keep hearing that an indictment of a former president is "unprecedented." I suppose it is. It also strikes me as something that is less common than it should be. Accountability should be the norm rather than the exception. It should apply to our leaders too. Nobody should be above the law in a "nation of laws." Dick Cheney should have been prosecuted for war crimes.

Thinking about criminal indictments also makes me wonder about impeachment. This was once rare and now seems to be so common that most sitting presidents will face efforts to impeach them. This will happen with and without cause. Of course, investigations of sitting presidents and their associates are even more common. These were once rare too. And again, these happen with and without good reasons.

Christian Faith is Not Necessary to Motivate Social Justice

Shortly after his win in Georgia, Sen. Raphael Warnock thanked some sort of god. And why wouldn't he? Professional athletes, such as his opponent, have been doing this sort of thing for as long as I can remember.

Democratic observers were happy with his win. Given the failure of imagination that plagues many Democratic pundits, what we heard was not surprising. Rachel Maddow suggested "that perhaps Democrats should elect more Baptist ministers..."

Sen. Warnock seems like a decent guy. In this post from Religion News Service, he's described as representing "a particular brand of social justice-focused Christianity that favors voting rights and prioritizes the poor." This doesn't sound bad, though Christianity doesn't seem necessary.

The point of the post was to contrast Sen. Warnock's pro-faith approach with stereotypes of godless Democrats. That's fair. Many on the left are religious, and the right does like to deny that reality. Pointing that out every now and then is fine.

For a Nation of Laws, We Sure Don't Like to Hold Leaders Accountable

The United States is good at many things. Holding current or former presidents accountable for crimes isn't among them. I can understand why many on the left obsess about the possibility of Donald Trump going to prison. But that doesn't mean I expect it to happen. If it didn't happen with crimes as serious as those committed by Dick Cheney, it seems unlikely to happen with Trump. When it comes to our former presidents, we don't seem to want accountability.

We like to believe that we are "a nation of laws," and we love to talk about how nobody is "above the law." Does anybody believe that? I know many of us would like to believe it, but can we? How many police officers have been above the law? How many celebrities? How many elected officials? Too many. On all counts, far too many.

Liz Cheney Deserves Praise for Her Courage

I have never liked Liz Cheney's political views. That has not changed. I would not have voted for her if I lived in Wyoming. I never thought I'd have any reason to admire anything about her, but she's changed that. She's done a great job on the Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol. I admire her willingness to stand up to Trump.

But should we praise Cheney for doing her job? Yes! Yes, we should. The reason we should is obvious. At least, it is obvious to me. Almost no other Republicans are willing to put the country ahead of their party. It isn't so much what she's doing as it is the fact that she's almost alone in doing it. That makes it remarkable. That makes it worthy of praise.

We like to talk about the oath our elected officials take. Cheney's upholding hers when few others are doing so. She's been willing to address a serious problem too many of her associates are still ignoring. And she's been willing to do so despite the consequences to her political career. She's doing so in spite of all the hate coming her way. That takes courage.

I don't have to agree with her political views to find that impressive. I know how hard it can be to go against popular traditions and sentiment. She had little support, but she knew what was right. And she was willing to pursue it despite great opposition.

Have the Jan. 6 Committee Hearings Changed Any Minds?

Photo by Harold Mendoza on Unsplash
 

Have the Jan. 6 Committee hearings changed any minds? The day after the first televised hearing aired, I heard mixed reactions. Some found it effective and said they were looking forward to the remaining hearings. Others complained that there was no new information presented. I'm not sure if they realized it was the first of many hearings. Or maybe they already know everything worth knowing. We all know people like that, don't we?

I've watched all the hearings that have aired so far, and I've found them impressive. Much of the information presented was new to me. I had the broad strokes but not the details. Many of the witnesses brought these details to life. The case against Trump was far more damning than I expected it to be. But that isn't what stands out to me as the take-home message.

Helping the Democratic Party By Criticizing Some of Their Unpopular Ideas

I spend way too much of my life in meetings at work. A few are somewhat productive; most accomplish nothing. Far too many of my co-workers seem to regard meetings as indispensable. For some, it is probably about the unthinking acceptance of tradition (i.e., this is how we've always done things). I suspect others are using them as a way of getting their social needs met. And sure, some just seem to enjoy hearing themselves talk. Needless to say, I find most of them to be a waste of my time. That said, I think there is at least one important thing we can learn about ourselves in the context of workplace meetings. When things begin to move in a direction to which we are opposed, what do we do?

I can't tell you the number of times I've been in a meeting and someone put forward something I considered to be a bad idea. Others are quick jump on board and express support for the idea no matter how bad it is. Unbelievably, it sounds like they might be getting ready to move ahead with it. I look around the room with what has to be a puzzled expression, ask myself whether it is worth speaking up, and usually decide that it is. And then I calmly explain why I think what was suggested is likely a mistake. I don't always prevail, but I try when I believe the issue is sufficiently important. I don't think I could live with myself if I didn't. If there is any value to these meetings, being in a position where one can openly question bad ideas before they are implemented has to be part of it.